Experts say sex abstinence program doesn't work

[ratmist]

By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Programs teaching U.S. schoolchildren to abstain from sex have not cut teen pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases or delayed the age at which sex begins, health groups told Congress on Wednesday.

The Bush administration, however, voiced continuing support for such programs during a hearing before a House of Representatives panel even as many Democrats called for cutting off federal money for so-called abstinence-only instruction.

"Vast sums of federal monies continue to be directed toward these programs. And, in fact, there is evidence to suggest that some of these programs are even harmful and have negative consequences by not providing adequate information for those teens who do become sexually active," Dr. Margaret Blythe of the American Academy of Pediatrics told the committee.

These programs, backed by many social conservatives who oppose the teaching of contraception methods to teenagers in schools, have received about $1.3 billion in federal funds since the late 1990s. Currently, 17 of the 50 U.S. states refuse to accept federal funds for such programs.

Experts from the American Public Health Association and U.S. Institute of Medicine testified that scientific studies have not found that abstinence-only teaching works to cut pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases or the age when sexual activity begins.

The American Psychological Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also issued statements to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform criticizing the abstinence-only programs.

Comprehensive sex education programs should emphasize abstinence as the best way for a teenager to avoid pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease (STD), Blythe said.

"Those adolescents who choose to abstain from sexual intercourse should obviously be encouraged and supported in their decisions by their families, peers and communities. But abstinence should not be the only strategy that is discussed," Blythe said.

​

The rest of the article is here: Experts say sex abstinence program doesn't work | U.S. | Reuters

 

[V15U4L_3RR0R]

*headdesk*

I don't even know where to begin...

 

[persephonewillo]

well... duh! they needed experts to say that abstinence-only programs wouldn't work?

i think PARENTS need to take the initiative on sex education with their children. don't assume they're learning all they need to at school, YOU have to talk to your kids.

 

[Beauty Mark]

It took them this long to realize that?

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by persephonewillo well... duh! they needed experts to say that abstinence-only programs wouldn't work? i think PARENTS need to take the initiative on sex education with their children. don't assume they're learning all they need to at school, YOU have to talk to your kids.

Well, when you're talking about billions of dollars spent on abstinence-only programs, and pressure put on Congress to limit the money spent on other programs, I guess you do need some experts to come up and say what works and what doesn't. The Bush administration years are riddled with lobbying and integrating abstinence-only programs, and we're at a point now where we can actually see if they've worked or not (statistically and otherwise).

I agree that parents need to take the initiative, but a lot of parents can't or won't. I don't think it's a bad thing to include sexual health programs that pass out condoms and show students how to use them in public schools. It makes safe sex an open topic in the classroom, where everyone can talk about it to each other and with teaching professionals. That can only be a good thing, surely?

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark It took them this long to realize that?

Statistically, yes. To see if such a program works on a national scale, it takes a few years to see if there's any effect. *shrug*

 

[M.A.C. head.]

I thought that was BS from the start.

Kids are going to do whatever they want to do, so it's OUR JOB AS PARENTS to give them the proper information so that they can make informed decisions; and if the decision is to have sex, we need to give them the information safe sex practices.

And kudos to persephone: It's up to us, not the schools.

 

[persephonewillo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist I agree that parents need to take the initiative, but a lot of parents can't or won't. I don't think it's a bad thing to include sexual health programs that pass out condoms and show students how to use them in public schools. It makes safe sex an open topic in the classroom, where everyone can talk about it to each other and with teaching professionals. That can only be a good thing, surely?

i don't get how parents "can't" talk sex with their kids. i can see how in some rare situations that might be the case. but in general, having kids, in my mind, means eventually having to buck up and talk sex with them. and the parents who won't? i'm tempted to say irresponsible, but perhaps that's too harsh a word.

i have no issue with schools handing out condoms and talking safe sex with kids

i wish more would do that... in conjunction with parents talking about sex with their kids. i don't agree with the abstinence only sex education though.

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by persephonewillo i don't get how parents "can't" talk sex with their kids. i can see how in some rare situations that might be the case. but in general, having kids, in my mind, means eventually having to buck up and talk sex with them. and the parents who won't? i'm tempted to say irresponsible, but perhaps that's too harsh a word.

Well, my mother is a strict Catholic. Despite the fact she was a surgical R.N., I have never once had a conversation with her about safe sex. To her, abstinence before marriage was the only thing. I asked her once what would happen if I got pregnant before marriage. She simply replied, "You wouldn't be my daughter, because my daughter would not do that." Long story short, she wouldn't talk to me about condoms, safe sex, STDs, etc. If I hadn't gotten that information from school, I wouldn't have had the information at all. To her, her faith overrides everything else, so there is no need for any of the safe sex stuff. All I supposedly needed was God and the will to stay a virgin until marriage, so her job was done.

Granted, some of this is alleviated now that we have the internet. Kids can look it up, basically. And probably get hit with all kinds of porn sites at the same time, but still.

Quote:

Originally Posted by persephonewillo i have no issue with schools handing out condoms and talking safe sex with kids i wish more would do that... in conjunction with parents talking about sex with their kids. i don't agree with the abstinence only sex education though.

When I was growing up in Texas, we never had any talks that involved showing a condom or showing how to use one. It wasn't until I was ready to have sex that I realised I really didn't know what to do with one. So I had unprotected sex, because I just didn't know how to use a condom and I was too embarassed to bring it up to my boyfriend at the time.

I was on the pill, but he'd had previous partners and I had no way of knowing if he was infected with some STD or not. Can't believe I did that, being so much older now, but still. I think that situation could've been avoided if I'd been shown how to use condoms correctly long before I was ready to actually have sex.

I dunno about you, but I don't think I want my mom and dad showing me how to use a condom, frankly. I'd rather someone else completely neutral, like a school nurse, show me.

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head. I thought that was BS from the start. Kids are going to do whatever they want to do, so it's OUR JOB AS PARENTS to give them the proper information so that they can make informed decisions; and if the decision is to have sex, we need to give them the information safe sex practices. And kudos to persephone: It's up to us, not the schools.

I still don't see why it has to be one or the other. Both seems best to me, or at least 'safest'.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratmist I still don't see why it has to be one or the other. Both seems best to me, or at least 'safest'.

It doesn't have to be one or the other, but NEITHER is doing anything effective.

Parents have the most responsibility, period.

 

[Simply Elegant]

Abstinence only sex education in short teaches ignorance.

 

[fashionette]

Gah, some people....

Well, of course it doesn't work. Teach them how to use condoms instead of telling them that sex is bad. It's not, being sexually active is part of our instinct, it's impossible to hide it from teenagers. Let them have sex, just tell them how to do it in a safe way.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head. It doesn't have to be one or the other, but NEITHER is doing anything effective. Parents have the most responsibility, period.

Given if your 15 year old has a kid, it is indeed yours and your kid's responsibility.

My mother never taught me about sex ed in that I had no idea how to use condoms. However, she did tell me some stories about having a child at age 17 and let me know that she'd talk to me or help me find someone who'd talk to me if I wanted that.

 

[purrtykitty]

Duh! I think it also depends on the kid, though. Neither of my parents had the "talk" with me, and I didn't have sex until I was in college...and even then it was with my long-term bf (now husband). The sex-ed program my school had wasn't bad...I thought it was OK. At one point, the teacher even brought in students that had children and had them talk about what it was like. Worked for me!!

 

[frocher]

..

 

[Nox]

<Sigh>

Over 95% pf adults over 21 have been sexually active at some point.

Duh! Abstinence-only education probably only works if you are living solitary in a cave. Why can't American school systems get their acts together? Sex education is a misnomer in some school districts, my husband told me about how in his school out in the rural farm area, "sex education" did not actually touch on the topic of the *sex act* itself... only that whatever it is, and however you put what and where is something you should never ever do until you are married, otherwise you will die poor and lonely and go to hell. We have one of the worst cases of teen pregnancy problems in the Western world, and yet some of these nut bag politicians think by offer the same type of "education", they can expect different results.

Riiiight.

 

[babiid0llox]

Yeah I've heard of that program. Well what did they expect seriously? It's the most dumbest thing I've ever heard of, but I wasn't surprised when George Bush had something to do with it lol.

 

[KikiB]

Well let me put in my opinion here...and you will all love this one.

Growing up in the Seattle suburbs, I got a little bit of "a talk" from the parents, but it wasn't about sex per se. In school, we started getting to that in the 6th grade-that was 2000. 8th grade year, the next time I took a health class, we had Sex Ed Week, which was all about birth control, STD's, refusal skills, and the like. Fairly comprehensive and appropriate. Then we get into high school and every January the SHAPE team, which was a group of students who put together a presentation on AIDS and safe sex and so forth, does their presentation. It was very comprehensive-at the time (early high school) I was personally very pro-abstinence but at the same time, the full education is necessary. For any parents who might have objections, they did a preview night where they could see it. It had the "condom on a banana" thing, games, you name it. They always said at the beginning "abstinence is the only 100% effective way to avoid STD's and pregnancy, but not everybody chooses abstinence, so if you do choose to have sex, here are some ways to help stay safe".

My sophomore year, a bunch of girls who I hung out with (it was a mixed group, but a LOT of very conservative Christian girls...I am a Christian girl myself but not like them) were offended that they taught anything besides abstinence. A magazine wrote back in 2000 in their section of things they hate that abstinence only sex-ed was one of them because "it's like banning fire extinguishers so people won't start fires". This was before Bush was EVEN ELECTED. Now look at it. Pretty much you're having these people go out into the world without the sex ed, and when they get put in a situation, they are more likely to commit the risky behaviours. Plus studies show that in some programs (more likely in private schools, but could be in public as well), chastity pledges are made, but most all of them are broken within 5 years. Trust me. I took a virginity pledge at 14. At 18, I started "fooling around" which is pretty much everything BUT the actual act (mostly due to my extremely bad self-image and loneliness). Even the most well-intended people can break it.

To those people who truly stay abstinent, kudos to them because I only wish that I saw myself as more than a piece of dog ca-ca who only pushed herself further than she ever wanted to go because she wanted to be loved. But if you are staying 100% abstinent, please do not look down upon those who do not choose that.

 

[tricky]

This is one big huge gigantic reason that I will never vote for McCain.

"Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)"

from this site:

John McCain on the Issues

Separation of church and state my ass. It's socially irresponsible to NOT teach kids about safe sex.